Atheist Civil Rights Group To Protest Prayers At Middletown Town Hall

READER SUBMITTED:

On Thursday, May 1 at 12 noon, a National Day of Prayer gathering will be held in Middletown City Hall, attended by Mayor Daniel Drew. American Atheists, a national organization dedicated to the total separation of church and state, will be protesting.

Dennis Paul Himes, the Connecticut State director of American Atheists, said, "The United States of America was founded as a secular nation, and rightfully so. The National Day of Prayer gathering in Middletown is a direct attack on that principle. By allowing it to proceed in Town Hall with his participation Mayor Drew is marginalizing the thousands of Middletown residents who reject superstition. In addition, having attended this event in previous years Mayor Drew is aware that this will be an explicitly Christian event, promoting Christian government and dismissing not only Middletown's nonbelievers but its Jews, Muslims, and other non-Christian believers.

"American Atheists will be there to make it clear that this defiance of our constitution is unacceptable to those who understand that our right to freedom from religion is one of the key pillars of American liberty."

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for nonbelievers, works for the total separation of church and state, and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.